Dhaka, Nov 24 (V7N) – A total of 17,900 expatriate Bangladeshis have registered to vote through postal ballots for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election and the national referendum, according to the Election Commission’s (EC) Postal Voting Update published on Sunday evening (Nov 23).

Data from the EC website shows that in the first phase, Bangladeshi citizens living in East Asia, Africa, and South America are registering through the “Postal Vote BD” mobile app. As of 8 pm on Sunday, 17,907 expatriate voters completed their registration via the app, including 16,355 men and 1,552 women.

South Korea reported the highest number of registrations with 7,768 voters, followed by Japan with 4,606, South Africa with 2,311, and China with 1,289 registered voters.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Nasir Uddin officially launched the “Postal Vote BD” mobile application on November 18. On the same day, the EC announced the registration schedule for postal voting in 148 designated countries.

According to Mohammad Ruhul Amin Mallik, Director (Public Relations) and Information Officer of the EC Secretariat, voter registration will follow the schedule below:
– Nov 19–23: East Asia, Africa, South America
– Nov 24–28: North America, Oceania
– Nov 21–Dec 3: Europe
– Dec 4–8: Saudi Arabia
– Dec 9–13: South Asia, Southeast Asia
– Dec 14–18: Middle East (excluding Saudi Arabia)

Postal Ballot Registration Requirements:
Expatriate voters must use a mobile number from the country where they intend to cast their postal vote. To receive and submit a postal ballot, voters must download and install the “Postal Vote BD” app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. The app provides instructions and required documentation in both Bangla and English. EC officials emphasized the importance of providing accurate overseas addresses to ensure delivery of the ballot.

Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat, Akhtar Ahmed, stated that the Out-of-Country Voting (OCV) initiative marks a historic expansion of voting facilities for expatriates. Additionally, the In-Country Postal Voting (ICPV) process will facilitate nearly one million eligible voters—including election duty officials, individuals in legal custody, and government employees posted outside their constituencies—to cast their votes by post.

He added that organizing both the national election and a referendum on the same day presents a significant operational challenge, but preparations are progressing efficiently.

END/AJ/SMA/